Nicki Minaj has three words of advice for you: "Be a boss!"
The rapper covers the April issue of Elle where she debuts a more natural look and opens up about being bullied as a kid, her success and future plans for world domination (ambitious, right?).
It's nice to see a softer side of the 30-year-old. She looks great wearing minimal makeup and natural colored hair -- but appearing in the mag without her signature pink lipstick was tough for Minaj.
"When I saw myself with barely any makeup at, it was such a… like, I'm so, so attached to my pink lipstick, it's hard. I feel that it's become a part of me. To go in front of the camera, without pink lips or big ol' crazy lashes— you know, nothing— I felt naked. It was scary!," she says.
While Nicki is at the top of her game right now, life hasn't always been so easy for the "American Idol" judge. As a child, Mianj says the constant bullying she endured is why she maintains such a tough exterior today.
"I went through a lot of bullying early on. Girls made my life a living hell. We had come to America from a different country. My brother and I had accents. It was very tough. So I've always put up this wall— it was a self-defense mechanism growing up— because I was almost expecting people to attack me. And I still have it. It's sad."
The "Starships" singer will definitely have the last laugh though -- with hit records, her new judging gig and various lines, Nicki plans to keep this money training moving!
"My goal in the beginning was to buy my mother a house. Now I realize, Okay, if I really focus and become a key player in business, then I can build an empire. I'm thinking of a legacy that I can be proud of and wealth that my grandchildren can use to go to college. So world domination— in terms of providing for my family— is absolutely my goal," she tells the mag.
Nicki also shares some words of wisdom for women of the world: "Even if you're doing a nine-to-five job, treat yourself like a boss. Not arrogant, but be sure of what you want— and don't allow people to run anything for you without your knowledge. You want everyone to know, Okay, I can't play games with her. I have to do right by this woman. That's what it's all about."
We like the way she thinks! To see Nicki's full interview pick up the April issue of Elle magazine on stands March 26!
